Car-coupling



(No model.)

W. U. WILKSi GAR COUPLING.

No. 572,938. Patented Dec. 8, 1896.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

IVILLIAM USIIER \VILKS, OF CURTIS, ALABAMA.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 572,938, dated December 8, 1896.

Application filed August 1'7, 1896. Serial No. 603,065. (No model.)

To all whom it 'nm/ cancer/t:

Be it known that IJVILLIAM USHER ILKS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Curtis, in the county of Coffee and State of Alabama, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Car- Couplings; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to car-couplin gs, and particularly to the class of couplings known as arrow-head and jaw, and the novelty of the invention will be fully understood from the following description and claims when taken in connection with the annexed drawings.

The object of the invention is to provide a coupler of the arrow-head and jaw type with a coupling-link bearing or tongue contained in the draw-bar, by means of which the link is disengaged from the draw-bar.

A further object of the invention is to provide a draw-bar composed of two parts hinged or pivoted together, so that the top portion of the draw-bar may be moved on the hinge or pivot Vertically to receive and reject the link, and a spring contained in the draw-bar to hold the top draw-bar portion in normal position.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a coupling-link having arrowheads and a central enlargement adapted to engage the face of the draw-bars and hold thelatter at a proper distance apart.

The invention consists in the novel construction and arrangement of parts, as will be hereinafter more fully described, and set up in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, forming part of this application, Figure l is a top view of a draw-bar and link embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a side elevation. Fig. 3 is a sectional view. Fig. 4 is a similar view showing the end of the link raised out of en gagement with the draw-bar. Fig. 5 is afront view of the draw-bar in position to receive a link.

The same numeral references denote the same parts throughout the several figures of the drawings.

The draw-bar is composed of a bottom portion 1, having an upward projection 2, to which is pivoted at 2 a projection 3 of the top draw-bar portion a. The sides of the said portions forward the said projections and a portion of the front of the same 011 each side of the mouth 5 are flush or engage each other in normal position, leaving a solid compact drawbar head.

The top portion 4 is kept in normal position by a spring 6, secured to the lower portion 1, with its free end engaging the said top portion, said spring being entirely inclosed and concealed by the said two portions, and the spring is compressed to open or raise the top portion by a hand-lever 7, projecting from the top portion to each side of the car, or by a hand-lever 8, supported from the top portion by a post 0 and connected at one end to the top portion by a rod 10, and at the other end it is provided with a handpiece 11. It will be observed that the lever 8 extends up ward on an incline from the rod 10 to the handpiece 11, so that the latter is brought in convenient reach of an operator standing on the car-platform.

The bearing for the link 12 and means for discharging the link from the draw-bar consists of a lug or projection 13, formed integral with or attached to the inside bottom of the top portion 4. This projection reaches forward and terminates near the mouth of the draw-bar, leaving a space 14 for a shoulder 15 of the top of the link arrow-head, the top of the other or flat portion 16 of the latter resting against the said projection. Depending forward and downward from the pro jection 13 is a tongue 17, upon which the flat bottom 18 of the link arrow-head rests, with an interval or space 19 between the tongue and the bottom draw-bar portion 1 for the lowershoulder 20 of the link arrow-head. When the hand-lever is raised to operate the top draw-bar portion 4:, the tongue is raised and carries the shoulders 15 and 20 out of engagement with the draw-bar.

The link 12 has an enlarged portion 21 centrally between the arrow-heads, the curved faces of which engage the faces of the drawbar and keep the lat-ter at proper distance apart and also prevent the ends of the link from entering the draw-bar too far.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a car-coupler of the character described, a draw-bar composed of top and bottom portions pivoted together with a portion of their faces in engagement, and the portions forward the pivots also in engagement, combined with a spring to hold one of the said portions in normal position, and the hand levers connected together and standing at an angle to each other for operating the said latter portion from the sides of the car and the platform thereof, as set forth.

2. In a car-coupler, a draw-bar comprising top and bottom portions pivoted together, a spring secured to one portion with its free end engaging the other portion, a side handle, and an inclined handle adapted to extend over the car-platform, as set forth.

The pivoted portions con stitutin g a d rawbar, a spring controlling the movement of one of said portions, and means for operating the said portion from the car-platform and sides of the latter, comprising a cross-lever and a lever supported on an-incline abovethe drawbar and extending overthe platform, con1- bined with a tongue depending from the said portion, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

4. The combination in a car-coupler of the character described, the pivoted portion constitutin g a draw-bar, a spring controlling one of said portions, a projection integral with the spring-controlled portion, and a tongue depending downwardly and forwardly from the said projection, a cross-lever, and an inclined lever supported from the cross-lever and connected to the draw-bar, as set forth.

In testimony whereof I affiX my signature in presence of two witnesses.

XVILLIAM USHER \VILKS. Witnesses:

F. M. RUsHINo', J. H. RIoHBoURe. 

